Inside MusiCast

After a two month break, Inside MusiCast is kickin’ off the new year with a new artist whose debut album was a 2021 Inside MusiCast Album Of The Year selection, Anastasia Lynne! During the last week in December, the Inside MusiCast team each chose an Album Of The Year - 11 great albums that were released in 2021 that really pushed our buttons. When IMC Correspondent Scott Gross chose Anastasia Lynne’s album, “Girl With The Hourglass Eyes”, it sparked a lot of interest with our team and our listeners. We were struck by her incredible voice and the lush vocal harmonies, not to mention the stellar musicianship and the well-crafted arrangements of her songs. We then discovered that the album was co-produced by Ken Stacey and Doug Petty, so we knew Anastasia had put herself into great hands and ears that resulted in a stellar debut album. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Anastasia Lynne.

Burleigh Drummond and Mary Harris have shared the stage, a family, as well as a home for decades.  While Burleigh is a founding member of the progressive and pop band Ambrosia, his wife, Mary, has been performing alongside him in the band for over 20 years.  The two are also involved in another musical entity called Tin Drum, an ever-evolving project which formed in the ‘90s and now incorporates their children, their grandchildren, and other noteworthy musicians including guitarist Marc Bonilla.  Here to talk to us about their expansive careers are Mary Harris and Burleigh Drummond.

In a career that’s spanned more than 50 years, Larry Carlton has been involved with thousands of projects that span a wide variety of musical styles.  From solo projects, to countless studio sessions with some of the biggest names in the music industry, to performing on one of the most popular television theme songs, Larry’s work has garnered multiple Grammy awards and worldwide notoriety for his unique sound and his immense talent.  He earned the name “Mr. 335”, as for decades Larry’s guitar of choice was a 1969 Gibson ES-335.  He’s now teamed-up with Sire to create his own, signature guitar - the Larry Carlton S7, which he plays exclusively on his brand new album from Shanachie Records titled “Soul Searchin’”, a duo with fellow guitarist Paul Brown.  Here to talk to us about this brand new record and so much more is Larry Carlton. 

Dash Crofts and his longtime musical partner, Jimmy Seals, both grew-up in Texas and started performing together in the late 1950’s. Before they struck out on their own as the legendary duo Seals and Crofts, Dash and Jimmy performed with several bands and musicians, including Dean Beard and the Crew Cats, The Champs, Eddie Cochran, Glen Campbell and the GC’s, and The Dawnbreakers. Through their connection with The Dawnbreakers, the two found the Baháʼí faith, which ultimately influenced the lyrical creativity in their songs.  The duo formed Seals and Crofts in 1969 and landed their first record deal with Talent Associates, but it wasn’t until their second album with Warner Brother in 1972 did they find their way to a major hit with Summer Breeze.  From that point forward, Seals and Crofts sold millions of albums and is considered one of the most successful duos of the 1970’s.  Here to chat more about this incredible, musical journey is Dash Crofts. 

When he was young, James Raymond knew he had a special gift for music, yet he somehow felt that this natural ability stemmed beyond what his adoptive parents and his education seemed to provide.  At the age of 30, he began the arduous task of finding his birth parents.  When he secured his birth certificate, the name David Crosby appeared.  When James finally had a chance to meet his legendary birth father, the two of them hit it off and almost immediately started making music together, including the two, incredible CPR albums from the late 90's and early 2000's that also featured guitarist Jeff Pevar.  Aside from his integral work with Crosby, James has also carved out a niche with writing, composing, and producing music for television and film, along with a collection of his own songs. 

His latest project found him back in the studio with David Crosby, as he produced his latest album "For Free." He wrote and co-wrote several tracks with guests Michael McDonald and Donald Fagen, contributed backing vocals, arranged horns, and played several instruments including piano, synths, and programmed drums. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome James Raymond.

Luis Conte is one of the most heralded percussionists in the music industry, but had it not been for the encouragement of his parents and a three week window of time, his massive career performing for and touring with some of the biggest artists may never have happened.  A few weeks before he turned 15 years old, his father encouraged him to leave his home country of Communist Cuba before he became eligible for the military.  Luis made his way to Spain, alone, and later found his way to the United States and settled in Los Angeles where his music career eventually flourished.  Throughout his career, he’s recorded and toured with the likes of James Taylor, Phil Collins, Jackson Browne, Dave Matthews, Madonna, Pat Metheney, Ray Charles, Cher, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion, and so many more.  He’s also released many solo projects over the years, has written a book, and is an educator.  Here to talk to us about his incredible career in music is the maestro himself, Luis Conte. 

Hailing from San Francisco and finding his musical roots in Texas, Mark Lettieri is no stranger to diversity when it comes to how he approaches the guitar. Throughout his career, he’s released six solo albums, has been involved in countless recording sessions, and has toured with many well-known music acts. Since 2008, Lettieri has been involved with Grammy-winning Snarky Puppy and is also a member of The Fearless Flyers with Cory Wong, Joe Dart and Nate Smith. All of these experiences have helped to expand his musical diversity - including rock, pop, funk, soul, gospel, jazz, and even various styles of country. His new album, “Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Volume 2”, continues this exploration and includes a fusion of a variety of styles. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Mark Lettieri.

For the last 25 years, a veteran songwriter’s album has been sitting on a shelf, waiting to see the light of day. Throughout Terry Sampson’s career in the music industry, the songs he’s written have been performed by Al Jarreau, Kenny Rogers, Carl Anderson, Nicolette Larson, Cece Winans, Vanessa Williams, and Kathy Lee Gifford, to name a few - not to mention an extensive collection of songs he’s written for children’s movies and television shows. Yet, his first solo album project titled “E, Just E” recorded 25 years ago sat dormant - until now - when Jörgen Johanson and Mikael Engström helped Terry breathe life into the album by getting a record deal to release it in Japan on P-Vine Records. Here to talk more about this incredible story, as well as the rest of his music career is Terry Sampson.

At some point you’ve heard Arnold McCuller’s rich, distinctive vocals. Perhaps as a long-time, featured vocalist with James Taylor, Phil Collins or for a number of A-list musicians. Once you’ve heard his voice, you know why many well-respected musicians still call on him today. But other than owning a golden voice, Arnold has also entertained a rather successful acting career in film and television. His singing career began with a national tour of the musical Hair. After singing in a few bands, he released his first solo album, including a series of singles in 1979. Since 1990, Arnold has released seven studio and two live solo projects that stylistically range from jazz to Latin-pop, to blues. It’s easy to see Arnold’s diversity, and he’s been busy, having collaborated with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Dave Koz, David Benoit, and many more. Inside MusiCast is pleased to welcome Arnold McCuller.